Refined sugar defined and unrefined is fine .

So what is a refined sugar? Basically anything refined means it’s been processed or tampered with. Refined sugars are used to make things tastier at a low cost. They can be found in almost everything. You may be familiar with labels that say no added sugar, or sugar free, but most of the time when a product harks these phrases it just means it’s been replaced with a sweetener chemical substitute. You never see no added sugar on packets of fruit and vegetables as it’s common sense we should be eating those things, but things we are not so sure about need these labels to reassure you that you are not being unhealthy. That’s marketing and it’s evilness.So what’s an unrefined sugar? This is natural sugars that can be found in fruit. Unfortunately once you have lived in a sugar engrossed world , your taste buds have become accustomed to artificial sweetness. It’s as if fake sugars and chemicals put a shield over your taste buds so you can never fully appreciate how sweet an orange is for example. Having given up sugar I’ve been amazed at how different things taste without the fake sugar shield. I started to enjoy coconut water , and drinking my coffee with a spoon of honey instead of brown sugar. The beauty of eating less sugar, is the opposite of what you would expect. Society justifies sugar eating by suggesting it increases energy levels and boosts alertness. However it’s quite the opposite. Refined sugar causes blood sugar to spike temporarily ( this is when you feel alert and energetic) . After an hour or so this high will soon become a low and you will feel a sugar crash. You will feel tired and drained. That’s when you reach for another chocolate bar or sugary drink to give you another hit. It’s a vicious cycle. Once you become accustomed to natural sugars only , you are no longer dependent on sugar hits as your sugar levels are never dramatically raised or dropped. These dramatic sugar level changes are what alerts your body to store fat. Sugar doesn’t make you fat it’s the intensity at Which you consume it. That’s why some people reject the idea of fruit because of it’s high sugar levels but as long as you aren’t eating 5 bananas all at once, your sugar levels should be fine. This is why even though pressed fruit juices are good, their high levels of sugar can increase blood sugar levels too dramtically.

A good example of how this happens with refined carbohydrates is with white potato. Have you ever had a big jacket potato, or had roast potato with your Sunday dinner then not long after felt the over powering urge to have a nap? This is a sugar crash, and due to the high levels of sugars in refined carbs it spikes your sugar levels. Stick to slow release energy carbs like sweet potato. So when you get that low energy feeling, stick to black coffee and a banana not red bull and a snickers.